


30 Seconds After

by yukiawison



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, Nerds in Love, post update
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 01:30:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6136663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukiawison/pseuds/yukiawison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thoughts that run through Bitty's head 30 seconds after the kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	30 Seconds After

Jack turned with one last look back at him and then he was gone, out the door with a melancholy but hopeful little "I'll text you."

"Okay." Okay. That just happened. Jack Zimmermann just kissed me. And it wasn't spin the bottle or truth or dare. Jack Zimmermann former team captain, Jack "I'm sure he's straight" Zimmermann, French Canadian hottie who trained with him at 4 a.m., and yelled at him on the ice, and didn't like the rest of the team to see him cry. 

And now he was gone, and Halo was still playing on his phone, on repeat, coming through the one earbud still in his ear, the other dangling in space.

Bitty didn't know what to think. He was still in shock, replaying the scene in his mind like it was a hockey play. Jack's lips on his, hand on his neck, his waist. The moment seemed suspended in time. 

What did this mean? Jack wasn't straight that was one thing. Or maybe he didn't have his contacts in and thought he was Lardo. Did Jack wear contacts? Did he have reading glasses? God that would be hot. Focus Bitty. Did he want to go out with him? Was it just some kind of exaggeratedly affectionate farewell? Did he make out with Shitty too? No that would be weird.

Was Jack even out to anyone? Was he going to? It would be harder now that he was in the pros. Would he do it anyway? 

And why had he waited so goddamn long? Was he just a criminal procrastinator? I've still got time to kiss Bitty, I can wait a few more days. 

When was he coming back? Why couldn't he come back right now and kiss him some more? Damn he still felt tingly all over, and he had to finish packing. 

He folded up his shirts, discarding a few that no longer fit. And tried to arrange his pie tins so they would all fit in two boxes. Dating Jack Zimmermann, he could be dating Jack Zimmermann. What would a date with Jack even be like? The only thing he could think of was practicing. Because Jack literally never did anything but hockey. They'd practice and then maybe he'd buy him ice cream afterward. That was the closest to a date he could comprehend when it came to Jack fucking Zimmermann. 

He didn't much care what they were doing as long as he got to kiss him. Because kissing Jack Zimmermann was nice. It was very nice.

He played Halo on repeat on the way to the airport, and in the airport. (He took out his headphones when he ordered a milkshake and fries because it was polite.) And grinned the whole time he was waiting for the flight. That is until Jack texted him.

Jack: Are you on your plane yet?

Bitty pondered the answer for a second. Should he use an emoji? Was that too much? Which variety of emoji went with no?

Jack: I guess you are. I'll call you later. 

No, no call me now. 

Bitty: No, I don't board for another hour. What's up?

Bitty's phone rang and he jumped. There was no one really around. He could pick up without judgement. Still, there was something strange about talking on his phone in public. He answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bittle. How are you?"

Freaked. Out. "Fine. How was dinner with your parents?"

"It was good. How is the airport?"

HOW CAN YOU MAKE SMALL TALK AT A TIME LIKE THIS?? "How can you make small talk at a time like this?" He asked, considerably calmer than he did in his brain.

Jack laughed. "Oh, that. I guess we should talk about that," there was something teasing in his tone and Bitty's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. 

"You're not straight," he said before he could stop himself. "I didn't know you weren't straight."

"I didn't know for awhile either," he muttered. "But no, I'm not straight."

"And you want to be not straight with me?" Bitty seemed to have forgotten how to word.

Another laugh. How many times has he heard him laugh in person? Not many. 

"I like you Bittle. That's why I kissed you."

"It wasn't an accident?"

"How could it be an accident?"

"Well you could've thought that I was someone else because you couldn't see correctly or you could have been trying to shake my hand and got carried away or you could've had some kind of out of body experience where you blacked out and weren't in charge of your body or Idon'tknknowJackit'shardtobelieveyouwould ACTUALLY WANT to kiss me."

"Whoa whoa slow down Bitty I think you've reached hyper speed. I want to kiss you because I like you. And I want to go out with you, if you want to go out with me I mean. I know I kind of sprung it on you. The kiss I mean, but then you kissed me back so I assumed...I mean just tell me if I'm wrong because we can still just be friends but I want..."

"Jack, stop."

"What?"

"I want to go out with you. I absolutely want to go out with you."

"Good, um...I'm glad. I'm really fucking glad Bitty."

"Why'd you wait until graduation then? Now there ain't any time until what? The Fourth of July?"

"To be honest Bittle, I didn't really realize until I was running to find you."

"Realize what?"

"How much I want to kiss you."

Jack Zimmermann wanted to kiss him. Wow, that was still so hard to process.

This was new for him. So new yet he did it. He ran across campus to find him and he did.

"Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Merci. Au revoir Bitty." He knew the French was hot. He knew exactly what he was doing. 

"Goodbye Jack. Don't work too hard."


End file.
